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Teaching union NASUWT says today should be about celebrating and valuing the results achieved by pupils.

These results are what they are and ultimately it is their value to pupils that counts and not their value to the system. The achievements and success of our young people should be celebrated, not diminished or devalued.

There will be many pupils who will have exceeded expectations in achieving, say a D or E grade, but because of the obsession with A* to C grades their hard work and the commitment of their teachers is forgotten about.

– Rex Phillips, NASUWT

The union added: "With widening differences between the qualifications system in England and Wales, it is clear that comparison with grades across the UK is becoming increasingly challenging."

Figures show Wales is still lagging behind England and Northern Ireland - but the gulf has narrowed.

Despite rigorous tests, our students' performance in GCSEs shows that the overall pass rate remains stable at a high 98.7%, with passes at A*-C at 65.7% which is encouraging.

Our work to build on the rigour of qualifications remains a key element of our agenda to raise standards in Welsh education. Through the Review of Qualifications we've listened to employers and higher education about the skills they want learners to acquire. We have listened to their views and made a commitment to keeping and strengthening GCSEs in Wales.

Thousands of school pupils across Wales will receive their GCSE results later. Last year there were more than 291,000 entries with 65.4 per cent resulting in grades A* to C, 19.2 per cent received A or A* grades and 6.5 per cent achieved A*.

Plaid Cymru's Education spokesperson Simon Thomas says the priority now must be to ensure Wales-only exams are not seen as 'second rate' in relation to England's. He says they must be monitored by a powerful, independent regulator.